An Early Present
by MagicAlpha
Summary: After heading out with Judy to finish up on some last-minute holiday shopping, Nick decides to give Judy an early present. A short Christmas one-shot I wrote to get in the holiday spirit.


As the much-anticipated holidays crept closer on the calendars, the city of Zootopia always found different ways to get itself merrily into the season. Along with the many buildings that made up the grand metropolis, the Savannah Central Mall was glimmering with a festive atmosphere.

On just about every corner of the plaza, shoppers could be spotted gripping onto several bags from various stores. In the middle of the mall (right next to where the food courts were located), a large Christmas tree glimmered in all of its glory. Lights fluoresced from the humongous tree in a multitude of pretty colors, an array of upbeat holiday tunes resonating out of nearby speakers provided the scene with an even more festive ambience.

Right underneath the large pine was an establishment decked out like something straight out of the North Pole. Seated in a gigantic red chair was a polar bear humbly covered from head to paw in the typical Santa Claws uniform, kits jovially running up to get their pictures with him and tell him about what they wished for this holiday season.

Walking out from a nearby clothing shop, the two figures joined in with crowd of mammals. The rabbit, with both of her paws holding onto several different shopping bags, joined the fox beside her and continued to walk past several shops before making their way over to the nearest exit.

As they got closer to one of the halls, Nick looked over at Judy and the bags she was holding. Not only was the night a pleasant moment the two of them could share, but it also was an effective way for the doe to finish up on some of her final gift purchases for the approaching celebration. The mall doors automatically opened upon them getting closer, and Nick and Judy both felt the sensation of the colder weather hitting them on the way out. A delicate breeze was nipping through the air, and Judy could feel bristle against her fur.

Nick sighed and observed his breath becoming visible in the cold. From there, he took Judy by her free paw and lead her to a different attraction.

A few moments later, the two of them found themselves heading to one of the Sky-Trams. While the Rainforest District had the recognizable gondola lifts, the similar mechanism found within Savannah Central provided an even more enjoyable experience. Unlike the other gondola lifts, the Sky-Trams were a little more enclosed, with the additions of a glass viewing window as well as a small yet comfortable seat.

As their Sky-Tram came closer to them, Nick gestured for Judy to step inside first. "After you, Fluff," he said.

Judy giggled at Nick's attempt of formality as she stepped inside. "Such a gentlemammal," she joked.

"Naturally," the vulpine replied slyly.

Once they got situated inside, Judy set her shopping bags down and sat on Nick's lap comfortably as they faced each other.

"Got anything in those bag over there for me, Carrots?" the vulpine questioned. After his curious inquiry, Nick peeked over mischievously inside of one of the bags for any potential surprises. Before he could even get a glance, however, the fox received a sudden slap from Judy's paw.

"Now now," she replied. "Who said anything in here was for you?"

"Well, I just thought off-chance that there'd be something special in there for a certain fox."

"You're just gonna have to wait until the holiday, Slick."

At that, Nick jokingly shook his head and sighed. "Come on! You can't leave me hangin', Carrots. Can't you just drop a hint or something?"

"If you insist, I can let you in on one little detail."

Nick bent his head down and turned in ear towards her. "And what would that be, Fluff? I'm all ears."

"It's a gift," she said bluntly.

Nick uncontrollably produced an abrupt snicker at the little shenanigan that his rabbit companion just pulled on him. It felt as if he had just been hustled in a small but effective way.

Judy simply laughed under her breath. Gazing out at the view, the rabbit got a bird's-eye view of the city transformed by the festive decorations. Pressing a paw gently against the glass enclosure, Nick turned around to look out and stared back at Judy.

"Anyhow," the fox continued, " _I_ might have to wait, but I've got something that I wanted to give _you_ early. I was gonna wait until the actual day, but it was just killing me not to."

"You don't gotta give me anything now," Judy remarked.

"No, I insist," Nick replied as he unveiled a small red box with a matching red bow on the top of it.

Judy's ears became perked up as the vulpine placed it gently in her grasp. Before opening and seeing what was inside, the rabbit caught a glimpse at what was written on the tag: _To Carrots, With Love._

Judy shook her head, only Nick would address a present's name tag like that. Opening it slowly, she unveiled what the festive box contained. Unwrapping the folded up white wrapping paper, she glimpsed at what was inside.

 _Sweet cheese and crackers,_ she thought.

Taking it out of the box and caressing it in her paws, Judy revealed the gift to be some sort of necklace. A silver heart design glistened within the Sky-Tram. The rabbit quickly decided to place it over her necklace and looked at how it shimmered when worn.

"Nick," she murmured, almost feeling as if she was at a loss of words. "I-It's beautiful."

"That's not all," the fox said, feeling happy upon seeing his bunny's reaction to the gift. "Take it off and click it open."

Judy did as her fox said to do, taking the necklace off and opening up what the locket depicted. Inside the circular opening of the locket was a beloved photo of her and Nick together in Tundratown. On the other side of the opened locket read a line of etched text in a cursive font: _Love you, always and forever._

The doe sensed a tear of joy forming inside of her eyes, but dismissed it trying to not turn into the "so emotional" bunny that Nick referenced before on other occasions.

"I'm taking that look as a happy one, am I right?" Nick remarked, the sense of pleasure rushing over him from giving that gift to Judy.

Placing the locket once again around her neck, Judy pulled herself closer to Nick and embraced him in a gentle and heartfelt hug. Reaching over to the box the necklace was once inside, the doe peeled off the red bow and placed it comically on top of Nick's head. The tod tried to dot his eyes up and see what she had done, Judy simply laughing at the humorous image she had created.

"What was that about?" Nick asked quizzically.

"Actually, I got _two_ gifts," she said, providing the explanation to Nick's pondering.

"Heh, sly bunny," the fox murmured in reply.

As the genuine sensations that only the holiday season could provide filled the enclosed space of Sky-Tram, both Nick and Judy stared down at the sights of Zootopia's decorations. The tram car came passed a spot where a giant Christmas tree could be spotted within the city, and the precious gift that now delicately rested around Judy's neck continued to sparkled within the night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Hey there! Had the idea bouncing in my head to write a little story for the approaching holidays, and this is the result of that drive to write.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed it, and as always your feedback is gladly appreciated. I'll admit that I'm not too good at writing fluff, but I hope I did a fair job at writing something sweet enough to get you guys into a festive and cheery mood.**

 **Thanks for reading, and wishing everyone happy holidays. Buh-bye! :)**


End file.
